O Adonai and Leader of the house of Israel, Who didst appear to Moses in the fire of the flaming bush, and didst give him the Law on Sinai, come and save us with a stretched forth arm! O sovereign, almighty Lord, come to redeem us! Heretofore Thou didst show Thyself to Moses in a fiery bush, Thou didst give Thy Law to Thy people amidst thunder and lightning on Mount Sinai; come and redeem us now in the goodness of Thy Heart, in kindness and love. Thy chaste Mother, having heard the emperor’s edict, which obliges her and Joseph, her spouse, to repair to Bethlehem, prepares everything needful for Thy divine birth. She makes ready the humble swaddling‐clothes which are to cover and protect Thee from the cold of that midnight hour. Thus it is that Thou willest to deliver us from the slavery of pride, and to show man that Thy divine arm is never stronger than when he thinks it powerless. Everything is prepared for Thy reception, except our hearts, which still await Thy holy grace, which is to change them, and make them fit temples for Thy abode. Prayer. O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc. Eighteenth Day. The expectation of the birth of Our Lord is a fact which is celebrated throughout the Church. The expectation of the world is now at its greatest tension. Nobody knows whether the event of the birth of Christ is going to take place to‐day, or to‐morrow; but soon it will be accomplished. Everything is in readiness; the earth groans for need of the Lord, the holy people pray that they may see the great day; we, too, on this feast, will pray for the coming of the Lord. We wish with all our hearts that the Messias would come. Most just indeed it is, O holy Mother of God, that we should unite in that ardent desire thou hadst to see Him, Who had been concealed for nine months in thy chaste womb; to know the features of the Son of the heavenly Father; to come to that blissful hour of His birth, which will give glory to God in the highest, and on earth, peace to men of good‐will. Yes, dear Mother, the time is fast approaching, though not fast enough to satisfy thy desires and ours. Make us, O Mary, redouble our attention to this great mystery; complete our preparation by thy powerful prayers for us, that when His hour has come, Jesus may find no obstacle to His entry into our hearts. Prayer. O Lord Jesus, Who didst, for the love of us, etc., etc. Nineteenth Day.